Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders Salary
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · 11K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$58,870
Median hourly
$28
Average annual
$59,970
Typical range
$39,460–$83,160
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders is $58,870 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $28 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Load and unload chemicals and bulk solids, such as coal, sand, and grain, into or from tank cars, trucks, or ships, using material moving equipment. May perform a variety of other tasks relating to shipment of products.
Most earn between $39,460 and $83,160 a year. There are roughly 11K people employed as tank car, truck, and ship loaders in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders.
- Hourly
- $28.30
- Daily
- $226
- Weekly
- $1,132
- Bi-weekly
- $2,264
- Monthly
- $4,906
- Annual
- $58,870
$58,870 a year is around the 50th percentile for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaderss. The median is $58,870.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Maryland$81,320
- 2South Carolina$80,700
- 3Montana$80,070
- 4Minnesota$76,620
- 5Alabama$75,450
- 6Oregon$74,040
- 7Massachusetts$71,750
- 8New Hampshire$70,030
- 9California$68,600
- 10New Jersey$64,890
- 11North Dakota$61,210
- 12Texas$61,170
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Billings, MT$83,390
- 2Providence-Warwick, RI-MA$83,160
- 3Corpus Christi, TX$81,920
- 4Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$77,490
- 5Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$76,850
- 6New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$64,890
- 7Lake Charles, LA$63,170
- 8Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN$63,100
- 9New Orleans-Metairie, LA$62,200
- 10Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$61,420
- 11Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$61,220
- 12St. Louis, MO-IL$60,950
Related job titles
Employers advertise Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders roles under these titles.
- Barges Loader
- Bulk Tank Car Unloader
- Caustics Loader
- Coal Dumping Equipment Operator
- Dock Loader
- Load Out Person
- Loading Operator
- Oil Movements Operator
- Pumper Gauger
- PVC Loader (Polyvinyl Chloride Loader)
- PVC Monitor (Polyvinyl Chloride Monitor)
- Rail Car Loader
- Rail Loader
- Ship Unloader
- Shipping and Receiving Operator
- Shipping Loader
Related occupations
- Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$46,420
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$40,240
- Conveyor Operators and Tenders$42,420
- Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining$74,500
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers$61,770
- Hoist and Winch Operators$56,450
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers$41,220
- Crane and Tower Operators$68,080
What a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders does
- Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.
- Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures.
- Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures.
- Observe positions of cars passing loading spouts, and swing spouts into the correct positions at the appropriate times.
- Monitor product movement to and from storage tanks, coordinating activities with other workers to ensure constant product flow.
- Operate industrial trucks, tractors, loaders, and other equipment to transport materials to and from transportation vehicles and loading docks, and to store and retrieve materials in warehouses.
- Verify tank car, barge, or truck load numbers to ensure car placement accuracy based on written or verbal instructions.
- Operate ship loading and unloading equipment, conveyors, hoists, and other specialized material handling equipment such as railroad tank car unloading equipment.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders make?
- The median annual wage for Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders is $58,870 ($28 per hour). Pay ranges from about $39,460 at the 10th percentile to $83,160 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $59,970, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaderss the most?
- Maryland has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $81,320.
- Is Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 11K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders do?
- Seal outlet valves on tank cars, barges, and trucks.; Start pumps and adjust valves or cables to regulate the flow of products to vessels, using knowledge of loading procedures.; Check conditions and weights of vessels to ensure cleanliness and compliance with loading procedures..